Quick answer
Snakeskin jackets cost more because python skin is a regulated material, a jacket needs a lot of skin, and the pieces must be matched with care. It is worth it if you want a jacket no one else has and you will look after it.
If the lowest price matters most, buy cowhide or lambskin.
Lay a whole python skin on the floor and it looks less like a hide and more like a long ribbon. Now picture a jacket: a back, a chest, two sleeves.
That gap between a narrow skin and a whole jacket explains much of the price. We sell python skin jackets, so weigh our view accordingly.
We will also say who should skip one.
Why are snakeskin jackets so expensive?
Three things add up: the material, the amount of skin, and the work of fitting it together.
Start with the material. Python skin is not a common leather, and trade in python skins is regulated under CITES, the international treaty that controls trade in listed species.
Our supplier holds CITES export documentation for skins traded in wholesale quantity. We do not currently provide individual CITES paperwork with retail orders.
Check your own country’s import rules before ordering.
Then there is the amount of skin. A python skin is long and narrow, so a jacket is pieced together from more than one piece of skin.
A jacket also covers far more surface than a wallet or a belt. You pay for all that material before anyone picks up a needle.
Then the matching. Python skin has a scale pattern, and every skin’s pattern is different. Where two pieces of a jacket meet, the pattern either carries across the seam or it breaks.
Getting it to carry across takes care, and that care is part of what you pay for.
How can you tell if a snakeskin jacket's price is fair?
A price on its own tells you little, because no two jackets use the same skins. Compare like with like.
In the photos and in person, check these four things.
1. Which skin, and which part of it. A seller should say python skin, and say whether the scales come from the back or the belly.
2. The seams. Look at where two pieces meet. The scale pattern should carry across the join.
If it breaks off or jumps, the pieces were not matched.
3. The lining. It should be named.
If it is cow or lamb, an honest seller says so.
4. The price against similar jackets. If it sits far below other python skin jackets, ask more questions before you pay.
Our guide to telling real python leather from fake shows the physical checks.
Ask us any of this before you order. Message us and we will answer.
Is a snakeskin jacket worth it?
It suits some people and not others, and it is better to know which you are before you pay. Here is how a python skin jacket compares with cowhide or lambskin on things you can check yourself.
| What to check | Python skin jacket | Cowhide or lambskin jacket |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Scale pattern differs on every jacket and from the photos | No scale pattern to match |
| Seams | Do the scales carry across the join? | Check the stitching and the fit |
| What to ask the seller | Which skin, which part, what lining | Which hide, what lining |
| Speed | Ours are made to order, so you wait | Ask the seller |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
Buy a python skin jacket if you like that no one else will have the same one, you are happy to wait, and you will look after it. Skip it if you want the lowest price, need a jacket this week, or want it to look exactly like the photo.
Cowhide or lambskin will suit you better, and we would rather you knew that now.
What does owning one ask of you?
A little patience at the start and a little attention afterwards. Our jackets are made to order, so there is a wait.
The details for each jacket are on our snakeskin jackets page, and you can message us with questions first.
Once it arrives, keep the jacket away from heat and direct sun, hang it on a padded hanger, and cover it with something breathable, never plastic. If it gets damp, let it dry naturally and never use a hairdryer.
Python skin is a natural material, so we cannot say how a jacket will look after years of use. That depends on how it is worn and kept.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are snakeskin jackets more expensive than cowhide jackets?
Python skin is not a common leather, and trade in it is regulated under CITES. A jacket also needs a lot of skin, because each python skin is long and narrow.
The pieces must then be matched so the scale pattern carries across the seams.
Who should not buy a snakeskin jacket?
Skip it if you want the lowest price, need a jacket this week, or want it to look exactly like the photo. Every skin is different, so colour and scale pattern vary.
Cowhide or lambskin will suit you better.
Ready to look? See our snakeskin jackets.
Colour and scale pattern will differ from our photos, because every skin is different.
